Our Pastor & First Lady

Dr. Larry Green Sr. and Deac. Betty Green

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” – Proverbs 3:5-6.

These words don’t just hang on the wall of Rev. Dr. Larry Green’s office at 35 Highland Street in Roxbury; they are deeply rooted in his heart and they form the foundation for more than 40 years of his experience in counseling, teaching, and pastoring.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to the parishioners of Timothy Baptist Church where he has pastored for the last 25 years, that this scripture is actually one of his favorites. He often says, “Check it out for yourself” prompting all that are willing, to search the scriptures, knowing that it is a lamp to your feet. These are not empty words, but a testimony of a life lived in surrender to the leading of Jesus Christ.

Dr. Green was born in Massachusetts. In his youth he was educated in the METCO program – one of the first 50 students to ever do so; eventually graduating from Wellesley High School. He received certificates from the efficacy Institute, Boston Public Schools Center for Leadership Development and BPS Mentor Program. He also has a Master’s in Education from Cambridge College and a doctoral degree in Pastoral Community Counseling from Argosy University. He served on several community boards, such as the Roxbury Multi-Service Center, METCO, Pine Street Inn, and the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center. Curently he is the president of the Baptist Conference of Boston & Vicinity Inc. and Vice President of the New England Missionary Baptist Convention, and Pastor Green is also certified as a Prepared/Enriched Marriage Counselor has dedicated more than 45 years to educating young people as a teacher and administrator, and is certified by the Southern Baptist Convention as a Seminary Extension teacher in the Basic and Diploma Series.

He began his faith journey at New Hope Baptist Church, in Boston, under the leadership of the late Rev. Dr. Madison Bryson Jr. It was at New Hope that he made his public confession in baptism and began to realize his passion and gift for youth ministry. He joined Mt Calvary Holy Assembly and was youth pastor under the leadership of the late Dr. Joseph Ely D.D., for 10 years before returning to New Hope and serving a 10-year term as the Assistant Pastor.

During his first year as an assistant pastor at New Hope, which had 1,000 members at that time, Dr. Green heard a statistic that 80-85% of congregants in the African-American Church get their counseling from their pastor. Initially, he had the frightening feeling that he may not have been equipped to counsel that many people. But, he stepped forward in faith not trusting in his own ability. He trusted only in the word of God and believed the promise that God would be his guide. Today, he looks back on that experience understanding that it helped to pave the way for many years of service for people living with hurt. It was, in fact, one of the strongest motivations for his dissertation, “Pastoral Nouthetic Counseling for Urban Residents Dealing with Trauma Resulting from Violence.

His concern for people has fueled his ministry in a way that was transforming. He adopted prayer walking as a way of life and he prays continually for the peace of the city. In 2006, he became the leader for a group of international prayer-walkers and has been privileged to prayer-walk in Madrid Spain, Morocco, Paris, Marseille, Corsica, Germany, Iceland and Turkey. His most memorable prayer-walking experiences are praying over France from the top of the Eiffel Tower and praying in Madrid Spain where he envisioned getting to glory and seeing the thousands of people who were prayed into the kingdom. If you ask Dr. Green about prayer, he would say that when he prayer-walks, he is totally surrendered to God. It is a time of experiencing the Shalom of God.

Dr. Green is married to First Lady Betty Green. He vividly recalls and often tells of the very moment he was sure she would be his wife. Trusting in the Lord, he asked and she answered. They were not only joined together in matrimony but also in ministry.

First Lady Betty Green holds a Masters in Education and was awarded a diploma in Biblical Studies and licensed as a Missionary. She has conducted numerous workshops dealing with family, community, and social issues such as The Problem Child, Communication, Effective Ways of Teaching Sunday School, Training for Effective Church Membership, Positive Problem Solving, and Individual Accountability.

As First Lady of Timothy Baptist Church, she shares her knowledge of the Word and her love for the members of Timothy. She has a particular love for the women of the church. Under her mentorship, women of all ages, dealing with a complexity of social issues, have strengthened their walk with the Lord. She currently serves as the instructor for the diaconate ministry, and former team leader of the Christian Education Ministry. Through this ministry, Timothy has been able to offer Bible Study every night of the week for members and community. Timothy is known as a “Word church” and their motto is “Each One, Teach One” Most recent Bible series include Grow in Faith Learn and Play bible study for pre-school children on Sunday from 11:30 to 1:00pm, The Pentateuch for the intermediate adult learner, and the Monday night deep dive into sermon topics held weekly via teleconference from 6-7pm.

When your roots run deep into the Word of God, so does your passion and your faith – you cannot be moved. Dr. and First Lady Green have held up the banner of Jesus Christ for more the 45 years and they are not done yet! As each year approach they will march on, holding firm to the promises of God believing with a whole heart that he will continue to equip them each for each step along the way.